T.G.Sheppard & T. Graham Brown -“TNT” A Dynamite Show

T.G. Sheppard has always had an unstoppable passion for music. This passion along
with 21 number-one hits and being ranked among the top 100 country artists of all time
has made him one of the most popular live performers on tour today. It’s only natural
with a show chock full of chart-topping hits like “Last Cheater’s Waltz”, “I Loved ‘Em
Everyone”, “Do You Wanna Go To Heaven”, and “Party Time” T.G. has developed a reputation as a solid performer who delivers exactly what audiences want. All this and more combined with a steadfast dedication to entertainment has truly made him one of the great Legends in country music.
T.G. knew early in his life that music was more than a hobby. He left his home in
Humboldt, Tennessee, at the age of 15, journeying to Memphis to begin his career in earnest. Working in various bands, he began to develop his stage skills, learning to put his own touch on the myriad of songs required to survive on the club and party circuit. Using the name Brian Stacy, he released his first record, “High School Days”, which caused a few ripples on the pop charts in 1966. The resulting acclaim brought him gigs as an opening act for some of the biggest acts in America, including The Animals, Jan & Dean, and The Beach Boys.
The fledgling star veered off his musical course in 1965, reverting to his given name of Bill Browder and getting into the record promotion business. In a short time his passion for music, now redirected to furthering the careers of others, made him one of the industry’s most successful record promoters.
In 1974, T.G. found a song that would change his life forever. His astute ability to pick a hit song and promote it had paid off for numerous artists, yet T.G. kept thinking of his own musical aspirations. He knew Bobby David’s composition “Devil In The Bottle” was destined to be a hit, yet had no success in pitching the tune. After being turned down by eight record labels in 18 months, T.G. decided to cut the song himself. Heading to Nashville, he was signed to Motown, the mammoth R&B label that was trying to establish a presence in country music.
When he released “Devil In The Bottle” as T.G. Sheppard by night, he soon realized
which of the two jobs would get his undivided attention. While promoting records for RCA, T.G. formed a close personal and professional relationship with Elvis Presley. The legendary performer appreciated T.G.’s unique style and personality. As a token of their friendship, Elvis gave T.G. his first tour bus in 1976, helping to provide him with the confidence to give up the promotion business and hit the road full time. During his first year on the road, he scored numerous hits with the Motown imprints of Melodyland and Hitsville, including “Trying To Beat The Morning Home” and “When Can We Do This Again”.
Named “Best New Male Artist” in 1976 by CASH BOX, T.G. signed with Warner Bros.
when Motown decided to get out of country music. His career then skyrocketed as he scored 14 consecutive number-one hits, including such classics as “Only One You”, “Party Time”, and “War Is Hell (On The Homefront)”. In 1982, following this impressive “debut”, T.G. was honored as Music City News’s “Most Promising Male Vocalist”. His sound – a smooth fusion of R&B rhythms, pop arrangements, and solid country songwriting – was a blueprint for country music in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
During this period, his style rarely changed, and fans came to rely on his substantial
recordings of well-crafted, slickly produced country-pop rhythms, highlighted by his
evocative vocals. The “promise” of T.G.’s early career continued into the 1980s, as he racked up one hit after another. His duet with Karen Brooks, “Faking Love”, scored yet another number one, and “Make My Day”, a duet with Clint Eastwood featured in the feature film “Sudden Impact” crossed over onto the pop charts.
In 1985, T.G. signed with Columbia Records, where he again found himself at the top of the charts with songs like “Fooled Around And Fell In Love”, “Strong Heart”, and “One For The Money”. During his Columbia days, he worked with renowned producers Rick Hall and Bob Montgomery to create four more albums to add to his repertoire.
By 1990, country music traditionalists had changed the course of the format, and T.G. found himself wondering how he fit the new mold. He chose to withdraw from recording at this time and instead concentrated on his live performances, touching audiences night after night with his tried-and-true repertoire of hits, delivered with non-stop energy and the same excitement he felt as a teen.
He also made a name for himself as an astute businessman. In 1988, he opened his
private residence in the Great Smoky Mountains as a bed and breakfast. The 160-year-old log home, built high atop Moon Mountain, was an instant success and is still a popular tourist destination, although T.G. no longer owns the property.
The popular performer, who learned firsthand the kind of entertainment experience fans craved, was one of the original investors in the highly popular chain of country
nightclubs, Guitars & Cadillacs. The clubs, located throughout the Midwest, serve as
showcase venues for many emerging country singers as well as some of the format’s biggest stars.
T.G. also served as the national spokesperson for the Folgers’ NASCAR racing team for eight years. For six years, he served as the host of “Folgers’ Wakin’ Up Country Tour”, which headlined throughout North America.
In 1995, he took a two-year hiatus from the road to perform exclusively for eight months a year at T.G. Sheppard’s Theater In The Smokies, a state-of-the-art theater in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. For the first time in his musical career, he enjoyed the luxury of going home every night after a show. But the wanderlust of a road musician was inescapable, as he returned to the road in 1997.
Charity work is a crucial part of T.G.’s career. Throughout the year, he works with many of the nation’s top charitable organizations such as Cerebral Palsy, Inc; St. Jude Children’s Hospital; The Alzheimer’s Association; The United Way; and Childhelp USA. T.G.’s first commercial album in over 13 years “Legendary Friends & Country Duets” has just been released. It is a duet CD with some of music’s biggest icons including Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Kelly Lang, Ricky Skaggs, The Oak Ridge Boys, Englebert Humperdink, Lorrie Morgan, Crystal Gayle, Delbert McClinton, The Whites, Mickey Gilley, Steve Cropper, Jimmy Fortune, and Wayne Jackson and the Memphis Horns. T.G. states that this is the music he is most proud of. A 90-minute motion picture-length DVD was also filmed as the sessions were recorded and has won the top award for best music documentary at the Tele Awards in Los Angeles, CA.
T.G. Sheppard’s enthusiasm for life and endless energy allow him to fulfill his
unrelenting passion for music.

T.Graham Brown

It was one of the most vibrant and exciting periods in Country Music history – the mid-1980s. A new and exciting crop of talents was springing up all over the place – and T. Graham Brown remembers it like it was yesterday.
“I remember Randy Travis and I hit at about the same time,” he recalls. “Our first singles were so close to each other. I’m not sure if it was the same week or not. Then you had Marty Stuart, and Billy Burnette – who went on to Fleetwood Mac. Steve Earle was there, too. I saw him at the Grand Ole Opry a few weeks ago, and we talked about that year.
We had a great year. We called our club ‘The Great Credibility Scare of 1986.’ All of us were having fun, there was no competition between us, and we all loved each other. Keith Whitley was one of my best friends, as well, and we were touring together a lot. It was a great time.” Brown’s initial entry to Country Radio was the sad and soulful “Drowning In Memories.” That Top-40 single helped him to establish himself, and by the winter of 1986, he had warmed up to audiences with the bluesy hit “I Tell It Like It Used To Be.” Other hits quickly followed, with his first self-penned release “Hell And High Water,” which became his first number-one song. “I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again” and “Don’t Go To Strangers” were the next releases, which all became chart-toppers.
The soulful vocal stylings of T. Graham Brown were all over the airwaves, as his
sophomore release Brilliant Conversationalist added more titles to his arsenal of hits, such as the seductive “The Last Resort,” and “She Couldn’t Love Me Anymore.” It was a time period that Brown sums up as something of a blur.
“Doing shows, visiting radio stations, and promoting our records, kept me out on the road over 300 days a year and that was a lot of traveling! This was when I was on tour with Kenny Rogers, who was the biggest thing going back then. I was learning so much about the business and having the time of my life. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!”
His audiences continued to make him a radio favorite as he continued to amass more hits like “Darlene,” the smash duet “Don’t Go Out” with Tanya Tucker, and the
regret-filled “If You Could Only See Me Now.”
At the same time his singles were climbing the charts, T.’s powerful voice could also be heard on radio and television. His sense of style provided the platform for a successful series of cameos in commercials for international brands such as Coca-Cola, Harrah’s Casino, Burger King, and Taco Bell. It’s his work with the popular Mexican eatery that he is perhaps best known, with a series of commercials under the mantra “Run For The Border,” a campaign that lasted four years. Brown says it was an exciting time – and one where he ate more than his share of Meximelts and Nachos Bell Grande dishes! As the 80s progressed into the next decade, Brown continued to flex his artistic muscle.
A well-received concert album gave him a chance to pay homage to his early
influences, like the incomparable Otis Redding, and his hero George Jones, who he
teamed up with on several projects, including the CMA Award-winning Vocal Event of the Year release, “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.”
It was a gripping 1998 release about his battles with alcohol – “Wine Into Water”- which helped him introduce his music to Christian audiences. This iconic song has been recorded by over a hundred artists, most recently by Loretta Lynn, on her critically acclaimed project, Full Circle.
In recent years, his first-ever Gospel album, Forever Changed, netted him a Grammy
nomination, with the promise of more such music on the way. A collaboration from the disc, “He’ll Take Care of You,” paired him with Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill.
Now entering his fifth decade as an entertainer, T. Graham Brown continues to branch out in his career. Before moving to Nashville in 1982, he made a few cameos in feature films, including 1977’s Greased Lightning with Richard Pryor. More recently, he’s started acting again, and his colorful personality can be seen in such films as Saving Samuel and Ticket To Nashville. He is also featured in the television series The Dream Motel, which contains a unique premise.
“It’s a Christian-based Fantasy Island meets The Twilight Zone,’ says the artist known
affectionately as His T-Ness. “Guests at The Dream Motel find themselves face to face with their past, their present and their future. All things are possible for guests at The Dream Motel.”
He even acted in the stage play, A Scattered, Smothered, Covered Christmas, the
Waffle House Musical, where “Wine Into Water” was chosen for the score.
That being said, there’s not much that Brown would change. His career continues to sail along at a pace that seems to suit him well these days.
“I’m having more fun out there now than I ever have had. I’m not out there chasing the hits. I’m just trying to stay out there. We’re planning on doing another Gospel record later this year. I’m doing some acting, which I am enjoying. I’m no great actor, but as long as they keep calling me, I’ll keep doing it. It’s a lot of fun.”
And, for T. Graham Brown, it’s all about a career that he enjoys.